Children's Home run by Horizon Care Limited in Staffordshire

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The experiences, help and protection that staff and the manager provided to children and young people still requires improvement. One child and four young people have lived here since the last inspection in May 2016. One child has been here throughout the period. Four young people have been admitted and three of them have not stayed for more than a few days or weeks. One young person has been here for three weeks now and the organisation has identified a relevant vocational course for him to start after Christmas.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people often come to home at short notice. Staff sometimes have little information about their needs or their history. Staff, managers and social workers do not always do enough effective planning to make children and young people feel welcome or find out how best to engage them. For example, one young person arrived during this inspection, but he refused to stay. Staff and the manager had not told the other child and young person already living in the home about the new admission, or involved them in helping to make the new young person felt welcome. Staff had not properly planned how they would welcome him. The young person therefore felt angry and confused and refused to stay.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

When young people do stay, they have no sense of what staff are doing to help them, or what staff know about their backgrounds. Input from staff sometimes lacks warmth, empathy and insight. Records about children and young people are simplistic and unhelpful. For example, one record says, ‘not all young people have as much time spent on them as [child]; he had not offered staff any of his sweets.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff and the manager will be moving on from the home to work in new homes that are opening. They also sometimes provide cover to other homes. Shift handovers are not of good quality and children and young people do not always know what is happening and who is looking after them. Children and young people do not sense that staff prioritise them. This hinders children and young people from enjoying high quality personalised care. Children and young people do not flourish or believe that staff want them to change and will help them to do it. One young person said, it’s ‘Alright here but it is up to me what I do.’ Children and young people do not benefit from day-to-day care that is arranged and delivered in a way that keeps them safe. For example, one child had his finger set alight by a young person. Another young person ran away repeatedly to a nearby bridge and tried to jump onto the motorway. Young people run away from

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

the home and sometimes refuse to return, so their placements end and plans are changed. Police have been called to the home a number of times because staff are unable to contain children and young people safely. A child went on the internet unsupervised, looked at sexual images and was able to meet unknown persons through an internet gaming site. A young person suffered a broken bone while at football training and staff had to be phoned and asked to return to the training ground in order to accompany him to the hospital. Serious incidents have happened because staff cannot respond effectively enough to the children and young people’s needs.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has worked hard to organise the records and improve the home environment. It is clean and comfortable. The manager has recruited a new staff team, many of whom are qualified in residential care of children and young people. The manager has given staff some help to improve their recording. However, many of the practice issues that held children and young people back at the last inspection still persist. The manager does not provide a clear role model for therapeutic practice. The manager has not been trained in therapeutic approaches and does not know how to help staff to work therapeutically. She does not forge practice based consultative relationships with social workers to ensure that care plans and practice in the home best meets children and young people’s needs. For example, one child who has been in placement for over nine months is still waiting to receive therapy and life story work. A therapeutic action plan from the

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

organisation’s clinicians was only finished a few weeks ago. Staff and the manager have read the plan but do not use the strategies given in it.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager does not review serious incidents from a practice point of view in order to learn lessons about what staff could do differently. For example, the manager does not effectively evaluate missing incidents to identify gaps in the training, skills and knowledge of staff, or to retain evidence of what worked well. As a result, the manager does not have a good understanding of the impact that the quality of care provided is having on each child or young person. Nevertheless, the manager has ensured that children and young people can see their families as planned. She has ensured that staff provide children and young people’s transport to school, education and activities. She has worked hard to provide better evening routines so that children and young people can do their homework and get a reasonable night’s sleep. The newly appointed manager comes across as enthusiastic and insightful. A child said, ‘I get on with the new manager big style.’

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Information about this children's home

The home is registered to provide care for three children and young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home forms part of a large social care company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 17 May 2016 Full Requires improvement 30 March 2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 10 November 2015 Full Requires improvement 30 March 2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

6: The quality and purpose of care standard: In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, the registered person must ensure that staff— (2)(b)(iv) provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. 31 January

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Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children standard: In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure— (2)(b) that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. 31 January

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Requirement Due date

7: The children's views, wishes and feelings standard: In order to meet the children’s views, wishes and feelings standard, the registered person must ensure that staff— (2)(a)(iii) help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child. 31 January

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Requirement Due date

14: The care planning standard: In order to meet the care planning standard, the registered person must ensure— (2)(b) that arrangements are in place to— (i) ensure the effective induction of each child into the home; (ii) manage and review the placement of each child in the home; (iii) plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. 31 January

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard: In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person must— (2)(e) ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; (2)(f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in 31 January the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Ensure that the Statement of Purpose is used as an essential part of the process of agreement that placements in the home are the right ones and that the home will be able to respond effectively to the child's needs. Emergency admissions should not be taken unless its capacity and support systems mean that it has the capability to care for children admitted at very short notice while continuing to offer high quality care to children already living in the home. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.6)  Ensure that the registered person only accepts placements where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child's assessed needs and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the

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Recommendations

existing group of children. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 56, paragraph 11.4)  Ensure that there is effective care planning and strong working relationships between the staff and the placing authorities because this is essential to the success of placements. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 56, paragraph 11.2)  Ensure that the importance of understanding who we are and where we come from is recognised as good social work practice. Staff in homes should play a full role in work of this kind. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 16, paragraph 3.14)  Ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective, clear recording. They should record information on children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion, and third party information. Information

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Recommendations

must always be recorded in a way that is helpful to children. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 62, paragraph 14.4)  Ensure that the evaluation of missing incidents is undertaken to identify any gaps in training, skills or knowledge for staff, or to record and retain evidence of what worked well. This evaluation should inform the review of the quality of care. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 45, paragraph 9.31)

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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